WHIMSY

For the girl on the go (and what woman isn’t at this time of the year?) there’s Face in a Case from Dieci Colori! Face in a Case contains everything you need for a glowing, healthy look: shimmering mineral powders for subtle highlights on the face and décolleté, three mineral eye shadows that blend and balance each other, a large shadow eyeliner, plus a mineral blush – all in one compact, stylish case. Only $64!

I personally love mineral powders because their light reflective properties create such a flawless look. And mineral powders never look cakey, heavy or artificial. They are also so easy to apply, unlike liquid foundations or blush (don’t even get me started on liquid liner!).

Face in a Case is the brainchild of Marie Gaglioti of Dieci Cosmetics. Her 20+ years of experience as a day spa owner and makeup artist led to creation of this innovative cosmetics line. Marie was inspired by the “beauty culture” of Italy and the country’s traditional health and beauty rituals.

In addition to Face in a Case, the Dieci Colori line offers a vast array of products in wearable, hypoallergenic formulas. There is a really tremendous assortment of lipsticks and shadows, all of which have several different textures, as well as eye and lip pencils in both classic and trendy colors.

Dieci Cosmetics also has a luxurious skin care line, Dieci Skin Care, for cleansing, toning, and moisturizing and the Essence of Italy Body Care line, a unique blend of organic essential oils.

I’m off to try it now. Ciao!

My husband Don and Mary Alice at Charm City Cakes. Mary Alice is wearing her brand new Audrey ring by WHIMSY!

On Wednesday we had a completely surreal experience. We took a short drive down to Baltimore to talk to the folks at Charm City Cakes about creating a special cake. If the name Charm City Cakes doesn’t ring a bell, perhaps you know the staff better as the cast of Food Network’s hilarious reality show Ace of Cakes. Led by the infamous Chef Duff, this is one crazy group of cake decorators! My family regularly watches their antics, as well as their creation of some of the most amazing cakes imaginable.

So, when we were greeted at the door by none other than Mary Alice, we were floored to say the least. In the back of my mind, I kind of thought we’d be shuffled to the side to meet with some random intern. Apparently, that’s not how they do things at Charm City Cakes! We sat smack dab in the middle of the bakery amidst the fantastic prop cakes we see each week on TV… like I said, it was surreal.

The meeting itself is hard to describe. Mary Alice is so incredibly nice and hilariously funny — by the end of the meeting, we had talked about everything from jewelry, to our last family vacation, to Charm City Cake’s new book and I felt like we’d made a real friend.

Plus I was able to give her one of the brand new Audrey rings by WHIMSY™. She absolutely loved it, especially the fact that the bead turns and she can “worry” it (yes, MA, those quotation marks are especially for you!). She chose a Red Energy bead by Chamilia, which was a perfect match for her upbeat personality.

When we got home, we had a fabulous cake tasting – the slices never made even it to a plate, we ate straight from the box — beyond delicious!

Susan McNeill is a wife, mother, author, fashion blogger

 and sales manager for the WHIMSY jewelry line. Susan

also writes for http://mcneilldesigns.wordpress.com and

http://successwontwaitinc.wordpress.com

It’s easy! Enter now to win a sterling silver, interchangeable bead ring by WHIMSY™ and a striking, collectible Murano glass bead by Chamilia™. A $150 value!

WHIMSY rings by designer R. Craig Whitten are an exciting new way to showcase the hottest jewelry trend of the year – striking, collectible Murano glass beads. The rings accommodate the majority of the glass beads made by all of the major bead manufacturers including Trollbeads and Chamilia™. Their interchangeability allows the wearer to express their individuality and easily change the ring to match an outfit, complementary jewelry — even a mood.

Because precious metals and gemstones are finite resources, the WHIMSY™ ring is crafted entirely from reclaimed materials. Today’s consumers expect more from the products they purchase — merchandise that is created responsibly.

Ready to win? Simply visit our friends at www.hipgrandma.com enter a comment. Winner will be randomly chosen. Contest runs through October 1.

Good luck!

Susan McNeill is a wife, mother, author, fashion blogger

and sales manager for the WHIMSY jewelry line. Susan

also writes for http://mcneilldesigns.wordpress.com and

http://successwontwaitinc.wordpress.com.

Yesterday, after a (really) long day at work, I treated myself to some time by the pool with the latest edition of Vogue and happened across a new David Yurman ad. It jumped out at me, not just because Kate Moss looked great, but because I am a tried and true Yurman fanatic. I think that the classic Yurman style — twisted cables, minimal adornment — is elegant in its very simplicity. The beauty of the materials and workmanship really shines and his pieces work with just about any outfit, in any season – against tanned, bare arms with a sundress or with an all-black ensemble for a winter’s evening out.

One of the things I like most about Yurman, I think, must be his serendipitous entry into the world of jewelry design. Trained as a sculptor, he dabbled in jewelry by crafting stunning pieces for his wife Sybil. These were so well received that he began experimenting with new designs, eventually creating the signature twisted cable design that has become synonymous with the Yurman name.

Inspired, this morning I took a quick trip to www.davidyurman.com to see what’s new, and I found two things. First, the Yurman line has expanded dramatically into other areas, like fabulous sunglasses ornamented with wonderful details like authentic stones and lots of trademark Yurman style. Sunglasses range in price from $325 for simple aviator shades to $675 for the highly embellished Albion.

Second, some of the newer designs, like the Confetti Collection, are a real departure from the solid, substantial look I always mentally equate with Yurman. The Confetti Collection still retains the twisted cable look, but in a minimal way – more like an accent than the body of the piece.  The bracelets and rings have a real openwork look and breezy feel. These pieces are accented with stones like peridot, tourmaline and citrine, which also have a slightly more casual feel.

Taking a look at the calendar, my birthday isn’t too far away. Maybe a new piece for the jewelry box?

My favorite new aviators from Ralph Lauren

I am happy to say that one of my all-time favorite fashion items — aviator sunglasses — are back in for Summer 2009. Now, aviators are one of those fashion staples that never really go completely out. But, happily for me, the legendary style is on the “HOT LIST” once again!

According to The History of Aviator Sunglasses by Cody Kahl, “The shades we know today [as aviators] were first created way back in 1936 by none other than Ray Ban. The reason they are known as “aviator sunglasses” is because they were developed specifically for pilots back in 1936. Pilots needed a good pair of anti glare sunglasses, and Ray Ban’s design satisfied this requirement perfectly.

So, almost 75 years later, shades that were originally designed after the shape of pilots’ googles are still being worn by celebrities (and those of us that just want to look like celebrities!). Crazy? Well, yes. Fashionable? And how!

In a quick search online, I found a lot of aviators — both traditional and updated for 2009. Ray Ban offers the classic aviator for as low as $104. I found a stylish, modified Donna Karan version with wider sides for $159 and black shades with cool, grey lenses from Dolce and Gabbana for only $199. But my personal favorite is by Ralph Lauren — this metal and tortoise combination sells for only $150 and gives the classic style enough of a twist that it looks fresh and new for 2009.

Sounds like I need a new pair in my collection!

-Susan